George Santos Will Stay in Congress and No Rule Stops Him (2)

May 10, 2023, 5:44 PM UTCUpdated: May 10, 2023, 7:34 PM UTC

No law or rule stops Rep. George Santos from staying in Congress while fighting criminal fraud and money laundering charges.

The Constitution doesn’t bar convicted people from running for office, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that he would ask the first-term New York Republican to resign if he’s found guilty.

Any member of the House can offer a privileged resolution to expel a colleague. It would get an automatic floor vote and require a two-thirds majority. In the past, though, lawmakers have waited until after their accused colleagues had their day in court.

 Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) shown in the US Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) shown in the US Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.
Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

The last person expelled from ...

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